Black is November’s Senior Companion

Barbara Black, of Edgar Springs, was named Senior Companion of the Month for November during the monthly in-service meeting held Nov. 20 at the Phelps County Courthouse in Rolla.

Staff Reports

Barbara Black, of Edgar Springs, was named Senior Companion of the Month for November during the monthly in-service meeting held Nov. 20 at the Phelps County Courthouse in Rolla.Speaker Scott Shaffer, care coordinator for the Central Missouri Area Agency on Aging, lead a presentation on Medicare and the Affordable Care Act at the meeting. A question-and-answer session followed.As a Senior Companion, Black visits several area residents in their homes each week to help them with basic household tasks, transportation to doctors’ appointments and errands. Black assists area families by providing respite for caregivers taking care of a loved one at home. Black grew up in the Edgar Springs area with her two sisters. She enjoys cooking, fishing, camping, gardening, deer hunting and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Before becoming a Senior Companion in 2004, she spent many years in the food service industry and working in her family’s upholstery business.Black said what she likes about being a Senior Companion is making new friends and helping others. As the Senior Companion of the Month of November, she received a floral arrangement donated by Blossom Basket Florist, and the recognition of her fellow Senior Companions.There are more than 70 senior citizen volunteers serving as Senior Companions all over Phelps County in private homes, residential care facilities and skilled nursing facilities.Sponsored by the Phelps County Commission, the Corporation for National and Community Service, as well as several local groups and individuals, Senior Companions’ greatest work is to help their peers maintain the independence they have worked for all their lives. If you know a Phelps County resident who might benefit from the services of a Senior Companion or someone age 55 or older who would like to become a Senior Companion, call 573-458-6180 for further information.

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